Going on Vacation: Healthy Travel Tips

I should really be packing right now. Kelley went to take our Golden (Abby) to her parents house since they will be watching her while we are away.  Thank you, Steve and Kathy....and Stephanie (Kelley's sister) too!

We are going to a small town in PA called Myerstown.  I wish I could count the number of towns in PA that end with "town", "ville", or "burg".....I bet it's a lot! All of my Mom's side of the family lives in PA (she's coming with us) and it seems like forever since we've seen everyone.  We're all excited to go, but why is it that packing and preparing for a nice, relaxing vacation feels so stressful?  It should be a happy time, but what if you forget something; what about your lucky pair of socks you always bring with you when travelling?

If you obsess over making sure your food is healthy, going somewhere away from home where your safe food is neatly stored in the fridge and pantry, this can be another added stress to deal with.

But there's no need to worry, last time I checked, most other areas in the US have stores too, and you can buy similar foods there!  So, I will bring a few things from home, and just grab anything else I "must" have at a grocery store when we get there.

Do you ever worry about how to avoid choosing unhealthy options while travelling?  Here are a few of my tips for a healthy trip for your next venture.

Make your own portable foods you can pack:  I made a couple batches of my Overnight Oatmeal Crisps that make a great portable snack, and they're healthy too! Or just bring oats to make Overnight Oats.


Pack portable produce:  Apples, bananas, carrots, and basically any citrus fruits travel well.  These make a great choice for a snack while driving or in between changing flights.


Nuts keep you from going "nuts":  Protein, fiber, healthy fats, and delicious; nuts can go anywhere and will help keep the hunger pangs away.  Choose your favorite type and look for dry roasted or raw so you don't have added oils.


Herbs and Spices:  You need spice in your life; pack what you use a lot of at home as these require little space anyway.  I like to a make a mixture of the savory spices I use on salads and veggies.  My favorite combo is cayenne, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, dill, cilantro, and paprika.  Then I just bring cinnamon by itself.


Healthy cereal without the milk: What do you get?  A super easy, super portable snack that is usually lower in fat and sugar than even "healthy" baked goods in the chip/cracker aisle.  Kashi has tasty shredded wheat biscuits with cinnamon or vanilla flavors that, although still kind of high in sugar, are a better choice than most other options.  I also like to pack a cereal like Food for Life Ezekiel 4:9 to have once at the destination.


Protein powder:  Whether you use soy, whey, hemp, or another source of powder, it travels well and keeps you satisfied.  Search for natural powders without a lot of extra ingredients you can't pronounce, and preferably sweetened with stevia.

If you have the choice, plan to pick up a few quick prep foods at the store once you get to your destination. I plan on buying plenty of frozen fruit and veggies, plain, non-fat, Greek yogurt, canned pumpkin, and rolled oats.

One of my favorite travelling treats is to mix canned pumpkin, Greek yogurt, vanilla protein powder, a few nuts, frozen blueberries, and a bit of oats together really well and let sit in the fridge (if you have that option). Within a few hours, you'll have a thick combo of very healthy ingredients that taste like dessert.  You might need to add a sweetener if you desire, I'll use liquid stevia or stevia packets that I brought.

I don't plan on posting anything while away, but hopefully I'll come back with some exciting stories.  Kelley and I plan on going to some fun trails to hike and to go kayaking while there; I can't wait.

Do you have any healthy travel tips?  Did any of these help you plan for your next trip?

Simple Joy of Healthy Cereal

Cereal, whether hot or cold, crunchy or soggy, healthy or sugary, is a comforting food anytime of day. I’m a proclaimed cereal lover and tend to err on the healthy side the majority of the time. Cereal is my go-to food for a snack/second meal at night, and has been for a couple years now. I will only eat a cereal with whole grain ingredients and nothing over 6 grams of sugar per serving. Stick to these guidelines alone, and you’ll have some tasty options that won’t hurt your health or wallet.


Eat it dry, with milk, almond milk, or yogurt. Mix in fresh or frozen fruit with a few slivered almonds, toasted walnuts, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, or whatever nut/seed you prefer. With these things added to a whole grain cereal, it makes for a quick and healthy meal the whole family can enjoy. Make it a fun weekend event with several cereals to choose from along with an assortment of fruits and nuts for each friend or family member create their own mix. This is a great way to get kids to eat healthy without realizing; just make sure you control the cereals offered.

Here’s a look at a few of my favorite cereals. These are the ones I stick to most often, and will select by what’s on sale at the time.

Nature’s Path Heritage Bites

We are subscribed to have a case shipped to us from Amazon and go through them very fast! So good as a snack and in cold milk with berries or banana.

Website -http://www.naturespath.com/

      Arrowhead Mills Puffed Cereals 

My favorite is the Kamut as it is great to mix with the Kashi GoLean or eat alone. No added sugar and whole grain is a big plus. The wheat is my least favorite as it had an off taste to it. All other varieties make for a great treat alone or mixed with a lightly sweetened and crunchy cereal. Website -http://www.arrowheadmills.com/

Kashi GoLean

Not the best finger snack food as the pieces are small, but this cereal has high protein and fiber and will stay crunchy for a long time. Beware, the GoLean Crunch variety is tasty, but has a good amount of added sugar. If you must have the “Crunch,” try mixing with another low sugar cereal like the Arrowhead Mills Puffed varieties to reduce the sugar content. Website - http://www.kashi.com/

Even better with fresh blueberries!

Barbara’s Shredded Spoonfuls
I’d say this is currently my top favorite cereal. Barbara’s is a great company that supports great causes. Each part of your purchase will go to one of their supported charities. The spoonfuls offer just the right amount of sweetness (from molasses) and crunch that’s good eaten with a spoon in milk or right out of the box. Website - http://www.barbarasbakery.com/

Plain Rolled Oats

Rolled Oats are basically a blank slate to prepare however you want. Cook in your favorite type of milk or just water, sweeten to your liking, add nuts, peanut butter, squash puree, yogurt, fruit, etc and enjoy. Hot oatmeal on a cold day is always comforting and nutritious, but you can let oats soak in milk or water overnight and enjoy right from the fridge the next day.

Remember; always check ingredients for “whole grain” listed as the first thing and hopefully not sugar. Make sure the serving size (normally 3/4 or 1 Cup) has no more than 6 grams of sugar, preferably just 5. This can be used for more than just cereal too, companies can be tricky with their advertising, be cautious of what you feed your body!

Each of the companies I referenced offer an abundant amount of other healthy and not-so-healthy cereals that we can all enjoy. I choose these cereals for their wholesome ingredients and because the companies support the Earth by donating and recycling.

Don’t feel like cooking? Grab a box of wholesome cereal and take it easy for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

For this one…Just “Don’t” Add Cayenne…….that would taste bad in cereal.



My Top 6 Blog Posts: Healthy Food and Benefits

That's right, "Top 6"; not 5 or 10, because that's just boring!

After yesterday's post on creating a healthy work-life balance, work is winning right now.  In the name of blogging, I remain determined to post to anyone who cares to stop by and read, so here are my top 6 blog posts in terms of views since I started "Just Add Cayenne."

Make Shroom for Mushrooms

Make Your Own Sugar-Free Pudding with Stevia

Polyculture vs Monoculture: How Are Your Fruits and Veggies Grown?

Food Review: EnergyFirst Natural Whey Protein

Protein: Builder, Producer, and Regulator

Eat All the Junk Food You Want

When I first started, most of my posts were centered around the benefits of and information about nutrients in food as well as certain hot food topics.

Now I make it more personal by writing about certain events in my life and focus more on just the food and recipes.

So, after seeing some of these posts, which style do you prefer?  I tend to enjoy blogging more on personal topics and about recipes I created or tried.  Maybe a few food benefits posts should be worked in again?

As fellow readers that I appreciate so much, please let me know what you like or don't like on my style.  I aim to please!

Bonus Question: Can you guess what the first picture at the top is?  It has do do with a post I made about 3 or 4 weeks ago, and I'll make an updated post soon.

Crunchy Corn Thins - What I Ate (and Reviewed) Wednesday # 7

Is everyone getting their extra cup o’veggies for this month’s What I Ate Wednesday theme? Has it been a challenge or basically what you do already?

Avocado takes the cake thin on this stack!

As I mentioned last week, getting extra veggies is never a problem for me. Not trying to brag or say I’m better, I just like a lot of vegetables. Plus, they add an inexpensive and healthy heft to any recipe that needs bulking up!



Breakfast – Leftover Spicy Smoked Tomato Salmon with celery utensils; cubed jicama; Quinoa Almond Protein Cookies; French Press coffee with cinnamon and nutmeg

Everyone should use celery utensils!

Specs of crunchy quinoa make these even more fun!

Snack – Dehydrated okra; Brewed green tea and vanilla roobios tea mix (one bag of each)

Yep, these guys again....crunchy veggie delight!

Lunch – Surprise! It’s not the usual puree today (that’s tomorrow). I made tuna barley with edamame and vegetables cooked in broth with a little ginger. First time to make this, but the outcome was delicious; think I’ll add more cayenne next time though. I had a side of Corn Thins and an apple too.

This is the best picture I have; forgot to take one actually plated...

Snack – a few large gulps of air; just my usual mini-fast (if you will) before sitting down to dinner; eating at work is just not enjoyable!

I'll let this plastic egg represent my gulps of air....


Dinner - Corn Thins topped with arugula, microwave scrambled eggs, salsa, and avocado (soooo gooooood; review below); big bowl of roasted Brussels, carrots, garlic, and sweet potato on top of mixed greens; puree of frozen pineapple, zucchini, and spinach with vanilla whey protein; of course I had to have more Quinoa Almond Protein Cookies because…errr…..why wouldn’t I?

Have to eat fast before the salsa makes it soggy!  Not a problem!

Topped with a few kale chips = veggie bliss in a bowl

Perfect topping of pistachios and diced carrots!

Have you ever tried Corn Thins? They’re like rice cakes, but with corn and thinner. The Original only have 3 ingredients (whole corn, oil, and salt) and only 46 calories for 2 things. They also come unflavored in Flax and Soy, Multigrain, Sesame, and Rice Thins; their flavored options are BBQ, Cheese, and Sour Cream and Chive.

I have only tried the original and sesame versions since I like a neutral base to add whatever toppings I choose. Both are great plain or broken to pieces and used for a snack or dipping, but its fun to experiment with different toppings on a whole corn thin.


I contacted Real Foods (the manufacturer) about a minor concern I had with one of the packages I bought. After using the code on my package to run a sample analysis (yes, they keep samples of each batch to test for quality!), they found nothing wrong with the batch of Corn Thins I purchased.


It turned out the package had a small hole that probably occurred while on the store shelf, and more my lack of attention than anything. But Real Foods cares about customer satisfaction and wanted to make sure I was happy; they shipped me a few new packages directly from their operations in Australia (they have cool stamps) just because.


I am extremely pleased with this company’s quick response and attention to the quality of their product; make sure to pick up a package next time you are at the store. Here is a link of recipe ideas on their website; I loved the toppings I added to mine, and want to try something with peanut butter next.


What would or do you use for topping things like rice cakes or corn thins? Do you think they are better as part of a meal or dessert?

I say both!

Happy What I Ate Wednesday………eat your veggies!

Freebie Friday: Chobani Greek Yogurt Giveaway

Today is the last day to enter for your chance to win a sample case of Chobani Greek yogurt.  Go here to enter now; it's easy, so you have nothing to lose......well, maybe 5 minutes.

But honestly, if you could have a shot at winning something good from an awesome company like Chobani, why not try?

How a business responds to consumers plays a major role in their success, and Chobani quickly responds to questions or concerns to ensure to keep a satisfied customer.  This alone makes me automatically reach for the Chobani label yogurt over other competitors.  Besides just having better tasting and creamier yogurt, Chobani offers excellent customer service.

I will sometimes contact companies whose products I frequently use to see how long and how well they communicate in their response. The good ones earn my respect and continued business; the poor performers get the opposite.

Recently, I contacted a competing Greek yogurt brand over a packaging concern, and their response seemed rather blunt with not even the slightest bit of sympathy. I won't drop names, but I bought it because it was on sale, but I won't make that mistake again!

After that bad experience, I wanted to make today's post a big THANK YOU to Chobani and all the other companies who respect their customers.

Since today is the last day to win product from this excellent company, here a few links with healthy recipes using Chobani Greek yogurt that are easy and delicious:

Creamy Tzatziki and Yogurt Banana Bread - 2 separate recipes, 1 page

Baked Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cake w/ Chobani PB Vanilla Frosting

Chobani Protein Bread

Peanut Butter Dip N'Dots

These wholesome recipes are a must for any healthy foodie, and Chobani yogurt helps add flavorful protein to all of them.

Good luck to all who entered, I wish I could provide CHO to all participants.....maybe one day....

Have you ever contacted a company for a concern or just because?  Did you receive a timely and respectful response, or one that left you looking for a new brand?

Five Easy Ways to Have a Healthy and Happy Easter

Can you believe it’s already time for Easter? I feel like people are still making resolutions for the New Year! Speaking of, if you need a change, don’t wait for a new year to roll around; set your changes for tomorrow or next week. There’s no set rule on when you can choose to make a big change for the better in your life.

Photo taken from Chocolate-Covered Katie

Even Easter can be a great time to resolve things in your life. We all focus on living a healthier life, but so many holidays revolve around chocolate and other sugary sweets. I say we can have tasty treats that are actually good for us everyday; it just takes a little thinking. Hey, the brain needs exercise too!


As a kid, I remember consuming tons of candy and what was called chocolate, but nothing like the real stuff. Now that I’m more aware of the food I eat, candy is not a part of my diet (ever) and I’ll only have a little pure bittersweet chocolate in moderation. Of course I do like to treat myself to Annie’s Homegrown Chocolate Bunny Grahams………yes, I indulge too.

For those with children or a child who looks up to you, they’ll pay attention to what you have for special occasions. Help shape their way of thinking about these occasions by focusing mostly on healthier foods with a small amount of “treats” for pleasure.


Even without kids, a healthier lifestyle is something we can all benefit from and enable us to enjoy life better. Where’s the fun in getting outdoors or moving at all if you’re too out of shape?


As humans we aren’t meant to sit inside all day, we should be moving, doing things, enjoying company of others, etc……..just no sitting around and eating crap.


Now that I’m done (for now) with my tiny tangent; here are some ideas on how to incorporate healthier practices this Easter and beyond:


1. Focus on wholesome food that’s till tasty. If you’re having meat, choose lean cuts like rounds and loins; pick boneless, skinless for game and poultry options.

Seasoned right, lean meat is healthy and delicious!

2. Limit the candy to only what is used in Easter eggs for the egg hunt. If you don’t hunt eggs, just limit candy and avoid anything with hydrogenated oils at all costs!! Even better, make your own healthy treats for kids and yourself using recipes like these Chocolate Bunnies on Chocolate-Covered Katie’s Blog.

Another photo by Chocolate-Covered Katie (she takes great pics!)

3. Make your own baked goods! Store-bought breads and pastries are loaded with fats, sugars, and other stuff you wouldn’t find or use in your kitchen. Make something easy like 5-Minute Carrot Cake in the microwave or a cake sweetened with a stevia-sweetened beverage like Zevia (here’s a recipe I posted).

Zevia baked goods in the fore and backgrounds.

4. Keep healthy foods out for the grazers lurking before and after your big meal. Here are 7 healthy “snack” food ideas.

Cayenne Dill Dip served with crudites would be perfect!

5. Roasted veggies are a must! Serve a side of these Honey-Glazed Carrots or cut a medley of vegetables into equal sized cubes or sticks and roast in the oven to bring out their natural sweetness. Here’s a great post to give you some roasted veggie ideas and a recipe.

The pan's not big enough to fit all of my favorites!

It might seem like a lot to handle, but if you take an hour to plan it out, you’ll see how easy it really is. Plus, you’ll feel better and maybe have energy to go on your own Easter egg hunt…..kids can’t have all the fun!



Do you have any healthy tips for Easter or other holidays? What do you think about setting resolutions anytime of the year?



If you celebrate it, I hope you have a Happy and Healthy Easter with friends and family!!

I Ate Wednesday......What?: WIAW #6

Shh, you can't tell, but there's veggies in this cup,
which makes getting an extra cup more of a treat!

With my first full month of WAIW posts, I’m eager to continue strong into this month. What I Ate Wednesday posts for April will entail “serving up an extra cup” of veggies. This is no problem for me, I have some form of veggie with or in every meal.



Where to begin?? Oh yeah……at the beginning



Breakfast – Small cup of tuna barley and edamame medley using long celery sticks as my utensil (makes the meal last longer!); baby carrots, baked overnight oatmeal crisps; French press coffee

Snack – No snack today, I forgot it at home…..*sigh*


Lunch – I tend to have a puree every Wednesday, so I had another today…..spicy red lentil veggie puree; celery and carrot sticks, organic ambrosia apple, green and red vanilla rooibos tea

Not my apple or photo b/c I forgot to take a pic before eating!!

Beverage – brewed green and peppermint tea after lunch

Dinner – long time between meals equals hungry me! Started things off with a big salad topped with Brussels sprouts and mushrooms; couple slices of Protein Beer Bread with PB; PB chocolate squash puree with banana; leftover Peanut Protein Crepes smeared with PB Vanilla and Brownie Batter Dip

Since the day’s not over, I’m sure I’ll have a nice helping of plain Chobani Greek yogurt and more overnight oatmeal crisps; a perfect end the day!


Adding extra vegetables poses no challenge for me; I love adding them to whatever I blend with frozen fruit for a nighttime treat. The blend usually consists of a winter squash variety, but lately I have used summer squash, carrots, and spinach with great success. Mixed with frozen fruits, protein powder, and stevia make a great alternative to ice cream and a way for extra nutrition.

Acorn squash with NuNaturals stevia, peanut flour, and protein powder

My chocolate veggie puree ready to be chilled and consumed; don't tell Kelley!

Another way to get more veggies is to just throw your favorites in a pot on the stove with broth and any herbs and spices you enjoy; then cook and puree into a creamy dip (less broth) or soup (more broth). I sometimes use the puree as a thick dressing on a cool, crisp salad; good health never tasted so good!


Do have any special ways to incorporate veggies in your life? I’d love to hear some new and interesting ideas, so please leave comments as you….please!


Happy WIAW!